My radios, past and present

[Turbo T]

Below is what I run in my pick up truck. It's a Cobra 21 GTL. According to Cobra, this model radio has not been built since 1980. It's the same size physically as a Cobra 25.

If I am not mistaken, I have been told on Cobra radios, the first digit in the serial number indicates the build date. In my case, the first number is a 9, which leads me to believe this is a 1979 model radio.

This radio puts out 3 watts dead key and 10 watts of swing. I run it barefoot on a Wilson 1000 magnet mount antenna.

Last week I was at the 20 mile marker on I-70 going towards KC and was able to have a conversation with a truck driver sitting at the Oak Grove MO truck stop. I was pretty stoked to see this baby get out 8 miles untouched.

 

[Turbo T]

This is my home base. It's a Uniden Washington I purchased off eBay. According to the seller, it's an untouched radio...aka not peaked or tuned. I don't know how true that is, but so far I have gotten some pretty good reports with it.

I run this radio on a Shakespeare Super Big Stick antenna that has the feed point only 15 feet in the air. (I know, that's not very high/it needs to have the feed point 30 feet in the air - I live in government owned housing on a military installation and had to make do with an old satellite dish pole the former tenant left behind). However I've been able to talk 20-30 miles with it so i suppose it's ok for what it is. Someday though when i finally get to own my own property I'll install the antenna higher, if not opt for a better antenna.

I also run a Skythumper ST-65DX mike with this radio because I've been told I sound better on it as opposed to the stock mike.

I run Browning LMR-400 hard coax between the radio and this antenna with an 18 ft. piece of Barjan coax for an extension.

 

[Turbo T]

This was my SS158EDX as I had it installed in my truck.

The only mods it had (besides a tune and alignment) was the clarifier was unlocked. It was a good radio....people often thought I was running a Connex when they heard this radio.

I've since sold this radio.

 

[Turbo T]

This is another pic of my Cobra 21 GTL and also a Cobra 19 GTL. I bought both of these from a guy in Kansas City for $15. Both radios worked too.

I've since traded the Cobra 19 GTL for a Reese hitch (that I later sold for $25 because it didn't fit my truck the way I wanted it to) and sort of wished I would have kept the radio instead. It was a basic small compact radio but it worked well and had the cool slide meter unlike most Cobra compacts with the LED's. This little 19 GTL was also a 3 watt deadkey/10 watt swing radio, like my 21 GTL.

For giggles and grins once I hooked the Cobra 19 GTL up to a 102 whip, turned on the car radio, flipped the radio a normally unused channel and taped down the stock mic before placing it next to the car radio speaker. (yes I know this is not legal but I had no one to test this with me) At 3 miles out I could still hear the car radio thru the tiny 3 inch speaker in this radio. I did this test because I often hear people say "those little radios are junk and don't get out worth squat". That might hold true for the newer Cobras but this one held it's own.

 

[Turbo T]

This was a little Cobra 19 I bought off eBay. It was a tiny little radio that came complete in box. It had never been used. I tried it out and was not impressed with it. It was stock but it seemed to not have any "oommmpphh" to it.

In fact I don't think it even had 10 watts of swing to it...maybe 5 or 6. Plus it seemed people had a hard time hearing me as opposed to some of my other radio all things being equal. (antenna, vehicle, etc)

I ended up selling this for close to what I paid for it.

 

[Turbo T]

Here's a few more pics I found of my Cobra 19 LTD II

 

[Turbo T]

This one was my Uniden PC68LTW. I bought this used off eBay for $22. It was a stock radio when I bought it. I later had an old CB tech out of Marshall, MO do a peak and tune on it.

This radio looked really clean/new when I received it. It had the cool green lit surrounds on the knobs/switches. It also had the built in weather feature which was nice...would alert me of storm warnings.

It also had a PA function, in which I added a PA horn. I had the PA horn hidden under the hood of my truck. I could then flip to the weather mode and the radio would broadcast a weather report thru the PA horn. Think of it like K.I.T.T. off Knight Rider. In the parking lots it would get peoples attention. Some would have a puzzled look on their face.

I added an Astatic 636L mic to it, as well as a Cobra 500 external speaker. Before the mic and peak and tune, the truck drivers could tell it was a stock radio. (so they say) After wards I think the radio did well. I still remember the time I was able to talk skip on it on channel 40 to a guy in Florida on just the radio and a 102 whip antenna.

I've since sold the radio.

 

[Turbo T]

This is the radio that got me started in CB radio. It's a Uniden PC 66.

A friend of mine had it and an old Midland just sitting around collecting dust. My friend mentioned he was putting the Midland in his truck. I casually mentioned I wouldn't mind having a CB in my vehicle, never even using one before. He then handed me this radio and said "I don't know if it works but you can have it".

It wasn't until a guy I used to work with brought in his Wilson Lil Wil and we hook it up...low and behold it worked. Best of all the co worker was willing to let me have his Lil Wil. So there I had it...a working radio and an antenna. And on top of that, I was preparing to move from North Carolina to Missouri, so I knew this would come in handy.

After having a CB shop in Fayetteville NC do a peak and tune, I was on the road to Missouri talking to all the truckers with good reports of audio. I quickly found chatting on the CB to be enjoyable.

Eventually I decided later to get myself an amp, hence the Palomar you see here, which I purchased off eBay. It worked ok, but seemed to sometimes have issues as I'd key up but the SWR's would go thru the roof, yet work fine if the amp was off or sometimes when the amp was on.

However....I took the PC 66 to a truck stop CB shop in Oak Grove MO to have them drop the dead key, as I had just moved to MO and was recommended this shop by several CB operators. To make a long story short, they ended up clipping the modulation limiter diode and making the radio sound like trash on the air waves. I didn't find this out until I got home and pulled the cover due to all the complaints I received over the air. All i asked was to have them drop the dead key yet they ended up making this radio into a turd. Never again will I go to this CB shop in the truck stop in Oak Grove, MO.

I eventually wound up selling the amp and the radio to fund other radio stuff. But this radio will forever be in my heart as my first.

 

[Turbo T]

This is a Realistic TRC 415 I received from the same friend that also gave me my Uniden PC66. It worked but I always thought it was a piece of crap radio. But at least it was small. I don't think I ever got a radio check with it...but I could pick up other signals with it.

I ended up selling it along with a trucker fiberglass whip in the pic to some guy who wanted a CB for his Jeep.

The mag mount was also a Radio Shack special that was a mistake. Live and learn.

 

[Moleculo]

Looks like you've got quite a bit of neat stuff. How does that radio mounted to the cab headliner keep from bouncing around and falling out? Did you put some type of backing plate behind the headliner?

 

[Turbo T]

How does that radio mounted to the cab headliner keep from bouncing around and falling out? Did you put some type of backing plate behind the headliner?

Thanks for the inquiry. No I do not have any kind of backing plate behind the Styrofoam headliner. Actually what I did is I JB welded two nut plates to the under side of the roof skin. Yes I know not exactly the correct way of doing it, but so far it has held up ok despite the rigors of driving the truck around.

I also do have an old Taiwan Cobra 148 to add to this little picture collection, and as soon as I get the pics downsized, I'll post them.

 

[Gent357]

Nice!